Australian police investigating the death of a British tourist whose body was found in the Outback today believe she may have got lost while trying to walk 20km back to her hotel at night.

Ethel Hetherington, 52, of Cockermouth, Cumbria, was last seen on Monday night at a bar in the popular tourist resort township of Yulara near Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock.

Her body was found shortly after 10am today by a group of Aborigines about 22km east of the Mutitjulu Aboriginal community, which is near the base of Uluru.

Northern Territory police, leading the investigation into her death, believe Ms Hetherington visited the community and became disorientated while trying to walk the 20km back to Yulara.

Superintendent Colin Smith said: "Inquiries have uncovered that she may have travelled out to the community by vehicle with other people shortly after 10pm.

"She may have thought she was walking back towards the resort but in fact she was walking in the wrong direction, away from Yulara. Initial examinations suggest she may have done a considerable amount of walking. There are no obvious signs of foul play."

Mr Smith said it was "very unusual" to attempt a walk of this distance through the desert. Temperatures can soar to almost 40C in the full heat of the day.

Ms Hetherington, who was married with children, had been travelling across the Northern Territory with her cousin and her cousin's husband.

She was last seen at around 10pm in the Barbecue Bar of the Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge. Police yesterday launched an air and land search involving Aboriginal trackers in a bid to trace her.

Mr Smith said trips out to the community were not common and officers were investigating why and with whom, she may have travelled. He said she had been drinking in the bar and it was not possible to tell how much alcohol she had consumed.

The Aborigines who found Ms Hetherington were not part of the official search. They were driving home to the Mutitjulu aboriginal community, where around 350 people live.

Her body will be transferred to Alice Springs tomorrow and a post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out during the coming days. The cause of death has yet to be established. Ms Hetherington's family were too upset to speak of her death.

Detectives and forensic experts had travelled from Alice Springs, the nearest town, 440km to the north-east, to examine the scene. Ms Hetherington and her relatives had arrived at Yulara on Saturday with plans to leave today.

Yulara is a tourist outpost with a permanent population of 1,200 that regularly expands to 4,000 as international sightseers travel to Australia's sparsely populated desert centre to see the famous Uluru landmark.